Cottage Witchcraft
Let's introduce an entire type of witchcraft today: mine! Well, one of the two I claim. Cottage witchcraft is a specialty of those who like to work with anything in the home, the Home and Hearth to be precise. This means cooking, cleaning, family magic, gardening, etc. We're gonna go over my personal cottage witchy practice and what I use for everyday magical things.
My brand of cottage witchcraft gives more emphasis on healing and care of my family through cooking. I like to sew and knit, especially for gifts. I'd like to eventually expand into gardening and creating natural products, like bath bombs and candles. I also specialize in tea and it's brewing (and tooootally wanna try tea leaf reading one day). In magic, I like to use everyday household items. My first altar, which I no longer have, had a multi-pointed knife from my husband, a champagne glass, loads of tea light candles, some rocks from outside, sea shells I've had since I was 7, some koshar salt, a light snuffer, and it all sat on a Christmas tree rug (the kind you put under the tree). Wasn't perfect but it was what I had, and that's what works best for me and my craft. Some of the best things a cottage witch can use, though, are in the kitchen. It may be the kitchen witch in me coming out (probably is) but using store-bought herbs in place of fresh ones works just as well. We go through garlic like crack in this house, mostly because of me. Salt, especially sea or kosher salt, can be used anywhere. I kept some in half of a coconut shell on my altar for snuffing out paper when I charged sigils and did my stress relief spell. Jars! All the jars! Keep them, clean them, store them, use them continually. During my pregnancy, we bought tons and tons of mandarin oranges, peaches, pears, and cherries in little glass jars from Wally World. We still have some (my daughter's 6 1/2 months old by the by...) and they're AWESOME. I stored my relaxation soak in it and other bathy goodness recipes. Candles are one of the must-haves for any kind of magic. But, I'm broke and live in a college dorm. So the next best thing? Wax melts! I just pour the leftover wax into an old candle, which I'm not allowed to burn on campus (psst. don't tell my R.A.), and store it for later. Especially since I'm planning on recycling the wax for candle making later. I have a giant stash of yarn and it's perfect for magical practices. If you haven't read my knot magic post, some of the simpliest spells you can perform are with yarn. Plus, for those who aren't out of the broom closet, it doesn't look witchy in the slightest when you're knitting. Unless you're knitting at, like, fifty miles per hour. Then that's definitely witchcraft. One of the best things about being a cottage witch, though? My home is my altar. When someone steps into my home, the most magical things you'll see are dragon statues and boxes of tarot cards. Besides that, you wouldn't tell. Cottage witchcraft can be incredibly personalized because we all run our homes differently. Our domains have different energies and functions. Each room in our house serves a different purpose, literally and magically. My home is an ecceltic cluster fuck but it's personalized to me and the life I live. There's tapestries on the ceiling, Dracula and Deadpool posters, butterfly stickers and stuffed teddy bears everywhere, a breast pump with a permanent set up on top of a printer, and a bag full of cans hanging off the back of the front door. It's scattered and everywhere and mine. Magic needs to be personal like that, for everyone. For you. When you make your spirituality fit the life you live instead of the other way around I feel it's much more enriching. And off the soap box *steps down*.
